Kan Taguchi

Collision-free path planning for a manipulator using free form surface

This paper provides a new method for obtaining a collision free path for a manipulator. The proposal in this paper consists of two steps. First, a free form surface is defined that covers collision regions and includes start and goal points in the configuration space, called the path restricted curved surface (PRCS). The PRCS is described by Beziers surface and it is a collision-free area. The second step is to generate the optimized path on the PRCS. The path on the PRCS is selected to connect the geodesic from start to goal points. The geodesic in the configuration space is the most suitable path in the point to minimize the total value of manipulators joint angle changes. The effectiveness of this method is clarified by computer simulation with 30 graphics. This method can be said to apply differential geometry to the configuration space method.

The study of a map realization system (cancellation of ambient light and swaying motion of a robot)

For better terrain adaptability, a walking robot should be equipped with a visual sensor. This paper defines the visual sensor for a walking robot as a map realization system, abbreviated MARS, and investigates the way to realize a practical 3-D range-finder which forms the major part of a MARS. First, the improvement in the range-finders performance to separate and extract a projected laser slit ray in ambient light is investigated. A video signal processing procedure called the DDD (dual signal extraction with delay and difference) method, which extracts a pulse signal by making use of the dual pattern of positive and negative pulses in a differenced video signal, is proposed. The specific method of DDD, which extracts only the maximum pulse, is shown to be more effective and is called MaxDDD. A range-finder with a signal processing system having an optical interference filter, a MaxDDD video signal processor, and noise reduction software based on continuity of the slit ray image between scanning lines...